CHICAGO (CBS) – Proposed legislation to close a loophole in the state’s sex offender laws serves as testament to the persistence of a Plainfield woman who would not take no for an answer.
Tina Estopare’s 15-year-old daughter had been molested by a neighbor in December 2011.
“What he did was fondled her, took her hand, and pleasured himself,” she said.
Prosecutors said the best they could get against her daughter’s molester was a misdemeanor battery conviction. Even the judge wondered aloud why it wasn’t a felony case.
“I squealed in court,” Estapore said.
Estopare has said charging her daughter’s abuser only with misdemeanor battery, there was no option to place him on the state’s sex offender database, because the current misdemeanor battery statute does not include a provision for sexually motivated battery.
The defendant served a few months in jail, and Estopare set off on a long journey to get Illinois law changed so someone convicted of a sexually motivated battery would have to register as a sex offender.
State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) has filed proposed legislation to allow judges to order defendants to register as sex offenders for 10 years if they are convicted of battery and the intent was sexual gratification.
Estapore said there is growing support for the proposal, dubbed “Stephanie’s Law.”
“Any person that’s a parent, and loves children, no one should say no to this law,” she said.
Prosecutors in DuPage, Kendall, and Will Counties have thrown their support behind the legislation, as have 225 Illinois school superintendents.
The legislation is in the early stages of consideration, awaiting its first committee hearing.
http://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpg00SOL Reformhttp://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpgSOL Reform2015-03-06 01:10:082015-03-06 01:10:08Mike Krauser, Local Mom Of Fondling Victim Seeks Change In Sex Offender Law, CBS
Pennsylvania lawmakers spent a lot of time and effort in the last legislative session working to prevent future cases like the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal at Penn State.
In many ways, the state is still adjusting to those changes.
But advocates rallied at the Capitol Monday for one more change they say is needed to deliver justice to those who’ve already been abused: extending the time frames that former victims have to seek civil damages against their abusers.
Current state law bars a victim of childhood sexual abuse from bringing a civil case against a perpetrator after the victim turns 30.
It’s not long enough, advocates say, for many childhood victims to come to terms with what happened to them. As a result, it has the effect of sheltering too many perpetrators from accountability for their actions.
“It’s high time that we accept that delayed reporting (of sexual abuse by victims) is the norm,” said Kristen Houser, vice president of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.
“We have recently seen glaring examples of this in the Boy Scouts, in religious institutions, in schools and most recently with the allegations against Bill Cosby. It’s time for us to stop asking why… and finally change our laws so they are based in reality.”
Bills offered by Rep. Mark Rozzi,, D-Berks County, and Sen. Rob Teplitz, D-Dauphin County, would raise the statute of limitations on civil action to age 50 for cases arising from incidents of childhood sexual abuse.
They would also remove immunity from the state, local government or private employers in the event of a finding of gross negligence by supervisors in a case of child sexual abuse by one of their employees or agents.
The age 50 benchmark would place potential civil cases on the same deadline as criminal cases.
That’s especially, important, some supporters said, since victims don’t get to make the final call as to whether criminal cases are pursued.
“We all have to be able to work through this on our own time,” noted Matt Sandusky, who went public in 2012 with allegations that he’d been abused for years by the man who would eventually become his adoptive father, Jerry Sandusky.
The statute of limitations would ordinarily have barred him from seeking damages, because Matt was 33 years old at the time.
He benefitted from the contrition of Penn State, which has bent over backwards to try to treat Jerry Sandusky’s victims fairly, and received a monetary settlement in late 2013.
Others, Matt Sandusky noted, aren’t as fortunate as he was.
“If the statute of limitations laws stay as they are… some people are no longer allowed to seek justice, just because they’ve reached that arbitrary number,” he said.
Matt Sandusky was scheduled to appear in person at Monday’s rally, but missed it due to a minor illness. He later spoke by telephone with PennLive.com.
State Rep. Louis Williams Bishop, D-Philadelphia, touted an alternative measure on the same subject Monday. Bishop’s bill would eliminate all statute of limitations restrictions, civil or criminal, on childhood sexual abuse.
Taking that step, said Bishop, will send a strong message to perpetrators that in Pennsylvania, “You can run but you can’t hide… You will have to face your day in court.”
The statute of limitations changes have been opposed in the past by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference – the public advocacy arm of the Roman Catholic Church – and liability insurers.
Both groups would presumably be placed at greater economic risk if the changes were passed, but they also contend that the justice issue applies to them, too.
Catholic Conference spokesman Amy Hill noted that as evidence gets lost, memories fade and witnesses move away or die, it becomes “impossible for any organization that cares for children to defend themselves in court years later.”
Hill also pointed to the 2012 report by a special legislative task force on child protection issues that found Pennsylvania is already “one of the most generous states in terms of the length” of the tail for childhood sexual abuse.
None of the statute of limitations bills were considered in the 2013-14 legislative session – even as nearly two dozen other child protections bill were enacted – but Rossi, Teplitz and Bishop said they don’t intend to let the issue rest.
“Pedophiles don’t retire and our law should not protect their heinous acts,” Rossi said.
http://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpg00SOL Reformhttp://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpgSOL Reform2015-03-03 22:33:372015-03-03 22:33:37Charles Thompson, Advocates for child sexual abuse victims push for longer window to seek justice, PennLive
http://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpg00SOL Reformhttp://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpgSOL Reform2015-03-03 06:41:092015-03-03 06:41:09Lee Davidson, Two Utah bills targeting child abusers advance, The Salt Lake Tribune
Lawmakers hope to give child sex abuse victims their day in court
Bill sponsors will host groups supporting the Child Victims Act on
April 22 in Albany
By MATTHEW D’ONOFRIO
February 23, 2015
Criminal and civil statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse crimes in New York
would be eliminated if the state Legislature passes a bill reintroduced this session.
Under current law pedophiles are able to hide behind the statute of limitations and go
unpunished for sexually abusing a child if the victim doesn’t press charges before age
23. A growing number of bi-partisan lawmakers are hoping to change that.
The Child Victims Act (A.2872/S.63), sponsored by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey,
D-Queens, would eliminate the criminal and civil statute of limitations for child sexual
abuse crimes as well as establish a one-year window for victims to bring civil lawsuits
against people or institutions in older cases that were exempt because of the existing
statute of limitations.
Criminal cases are not included in this one-year window because they cannot be
pursued retroactively.
The bill has a long legislative history but made headlines in 2012 in light of high-profile
scandals at Syracuse University, Penn State University, and Horace Mann, a private
school in New York City.
Former Syracuse University assistant basketball coach, Bernie Fine, was accused of
inappropriately touching two ball boys for the team in the 1980s and 1990s. The two
boys announced the abuse and accusation in November of 2011 on ESPN.
Jerry Sandusky, former assistant football coach for Penn State University was convicted
of 45 counts of sexual abuse in June of 2012 for child molestation that occurred
between 1994 and 2009 and stretched as early back as the 1970s.
At Horace Mann, more than 63 students were allegedly sexually abused by 22 staff
members between 1962 and 1996. The abuse was uncovered decades later in June of
2012.
New York is one of five states that has not yet eliminated or extended their statute of
limitations laws on child sexual abuse.
The bill language states that “Sex crimes, particularly those committed against children,
are among the most heinous and deeply disturbing in our society. They are crimes that
leave life-long scars, multiple victims and require an all encompassing strategy to
combat. Victims of childhood sexual abuse do not come to terms with their abuse until
well into adulthood. Under current law they have no recourse. By eliminating the
statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse cases victims can bring their claims
regardless of whether or not DNA evidence is available.
The bill further states that “by eliminating the statute of limitations in childhood sexual
abuse cases, victims of these horrific crimes will get their day in court and be able to
seek the justice they have been denied.”
California passed similar legislation in 2002, including the one-year window to file
lawsuits for older crimes. More than 1,000 lawsuits, resulting in $1.2 billion in
settlements by statewide dioceses of the Catholic Church, followed the passage of the
law.
The Catholic Church of New York opposes the Markey bill. Although the church supports
the elimination of the statute of limitations for crimes going forward, it does not support
the one-year window for past offenses.
In 2012, The Catholic Conference supported a bill proposed by Sen. Andrew Lanza, R-
Staten Island and Assemblyman Michael Cusick, D-Staten Island. Their bill
(S.6477/A.8064) extended the statute of limitations, but did not offer the one-year
window to file new claims on older crimes.
Dennis Poust, director of communications for the New York State Catholic Conference,
said the church views the one-year window as “unconstitutional” in terms of the
criminal code.
“It is impossible to sort out the truth when you go back decades and decades,” said
Poust, noting that “memories fade and evidence [is] lost” and most offenders are
deceased by now. “We’re not looking to defend them,” Poust said of past offenders. He
noted that it is the private institutions the church is defending, including groups such as
the Boy Scouts.
There is some debate about whether the proposed law would open public institutions up
for liability in past abuse cases. Poust believes public institutions would be insulated
from lawsuits but a spokesman for Markey’s office says the bill doesn’t specify between
private and public institutions.
Poust said the state is protecting itself from lawsuits and he’d like to see the bill
amended to include public institutions as well because “anything less than that isn’t
justice at all.”
“If you were 25 and were abused 10 years earlier by a public school teacher you would
not be able to bring up a lawsuit,” said Poust, referring to the bill in its current form. “If
you were 25 and abused in 1945 by the Catholic Church, you can.”
Mike Armstrong, a spokesman for Markey, said the legislation doesn’t include public
institutions because it doesn’t include any institution at all — it is non-specific. There is
no writing in the bill that states which type of institutions will be affected or targeted. It
applies to both public and private institutions.
Armstrong said the opponents of the bill, or protectors of “molesters” as he referred to
them, are concerned with the part of the bill that includes the one-year window.
Armstrong believes the legislation has the best chance of passing this session due to
the largest number of supporters — 59 as of press time, both Democrats and
Republicans between the Senate and Assembly — in recent history and the “aggressive,
energetic” sponsor in the Senate, Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan. Armstrong also notes
that Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Bronx, is a new supporter of the bill.
On April 22, Markey will host a number of groups supporting the Child Victims Act
during an advocacy day in Albany and other organizations concerned about the issue of
child sexual abuse to educate others, get their message out and visit legislators.
http://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpg00SOL Reformhttp://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpgSOL Reform2015-03-03 05:15:572015-03-03 05:15:57NY Lawmakers hope to give child sex abuse victims their day in court
http://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpg00SOL Reformhttp://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpgSOL Reform2015-03-01 20:27:032015-03-01 20:27:03UTAH ALERT-- House vote on Monday, March 2
ATLANTA (CBS46) – Angela Williams suffered pain no child should ever have to endure, especially at the hands of the man who is supposed to protect and nurture her.
“I was sexually abused for 14 years by my stepfather,” Williams said.
She tried to tell her teachers and her mother, but she said, they wouldn’t listen. “I was always told to forget about it. It was going to be my word against his and I need to move on,” said Williams, who now heads an advocacy group called Voice Today.
The statute of limitations, the window for Williams to press charges, closed decades ago. “I want the right to justice,” Williams said. “I’ve struggled with addiction. I’ve struggled with eating disorders.”
A proposal introduced at the Georgia State Capitol would have extended the statute by 35 years, letting victims press charges as late as age 53.
“It would be revolutionary in providing justice for survivors,” Williams said.
But, something surprising happened on the way to the state house floor.
“They have removed the 35 year extension,” Williams said. The bill was stripped of its most important part.
“It’s been pushed to where it is not victim friendly. It is predator friendly,” said State Rep. Jason Spencer, the bill’s sponsor.
The bill, in its current form, would only let victims open sealed records on their abuse cases. Spencer said he is trying to win a strategic victory.
“We are fighting for it. If I can push a bill and get it onto the floor of the house, that is a victory and that way it can change the mind of the general assembly down the road,” Spencer said.
Spencer said he is trying to get his bill placed in a House Judiciary Committee on Mar. 2
Copyright 2015 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
http://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpg00SOL Reformhttp://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpgSOL Reform2015-03-01 04:38:452015-03-02 04:48:37Christopher King, Survivor of sex abuse unhappy with hidden predator bill, CBS 46
Mike Krauser, Local Mom Of Fondling Victim Seeks Change In Sex Offender Law, CBS
/in Illinois /by SOL ReformMike Krauser, Local Mom Of Fondling Victim Seeks Change In Sex Offender Law, CBS, http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/03/05/mom-of-fondling-victim-seeks-change-in-sex-offender-law/
CHICAGO (CBS) – Proposed legislation to close a loophole in the state’s sex offender laws serves as testament to the persistence of a Plainfield woman who would not take no for an answer.
Tina Estopare’s 15-year-old daughter had been molested by a neighbor in December 2011.
“What he did was fondled her, took her hand, and pleasured himself,” she said.
Prosecutors said the best they could get against her daughter’s molester was a misdemeanor battery conviction. Even the judge wondered aloud why it wasn’t a felony case.
“I squealed in court,” Estapore said.
Estopare has said charging her daughter’s abuser only with misdemeanor battery, there was no option to place him on the state’s sex offender database, because the current misdemeanor battery statute does not include a provision for sexually motivated battery.
The defendant served a few months in jail, and Estopare set off on a long journey to get Illinois law changed so someone convicted of a sexually motivated battery would have to register as a sex offender.
State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) has filed proposed legislation to allow judges to order defendants to register as sex offenders for 10 years if they are convicted of battery and the intent was sexual gratification.
Estapore said there is growing support for the proposal, dubbed “Stephanie’s Law.”
“Any person that’s a parent, and loves children, no one should say no to this law,” she said.
Prosecutors in DuPage, Kendall, and Will Counties have thrown their support behind the legislation, as have 225 Illinois school superintendents.
The legislation is in the early stages of consideration, awaiting its first committee hearing.
Charles Thompson, Advocates for child sexual abuse victims push for longer window to seek justice, PennLive
/in Pennsylvania /by SOL ReformIn many ways, the state is still adjusting to those changes.
But advocates rallied at the Capitol Monday for one more change they say is needed to deliver justice to those who’ve already been abused: extending the time frames that former victims have to seek civil damages against their abusers.
Current state law bars a victim of childhood sexual abuse from bringing a civil case against a perpetrator after the victim turns 30.
It’s not long enough, advocates say, for many childhood victims to come to terms with what happened to them. As a result, it has the effect of sheltering too many perpetrators from accountability for their actions.
“It’s high time that we accept that delayed reporting (of sexual abuse by victims) is the norm,” said Kristen Houser, vice president of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.
“We have recently seen glaring examples of this in the Boy Scouts, in religious institutions, in schools and most recently with the allegations against Bill Cosby. It’s time for us to stop asking why… and finally change our laws so they are based in reality.”
Bills offered by Rep. Mark Rozzi,, D-Berks County, and Sen. Rob Teplitz, D-Dauphin County, would raise the statute of limitations on civil action to age 50 for cases arising from incidents of childhood sexual abuse.
They would also remove immunity from the state, local government or private employers in the event of a finding of gross negligence by supervisors in a case of child sexual abuse by one of their employees or agents.
The age 50 benchmark would place potential civil cases on the same deadline as criminal cases.
That’s especially, important, some supporters said, since victims don’t get to make the final call as to whether criminal cases are pursued.
“We all have to be able to work through this on our own time,” noted Matt Sandusky, who went public in 2012 with allegations that he’d been abused for years by the man who would eventually become his adoptive father, Jerry Sandusky.
The statute of limitations would ordinarily have barred him from seeking damages, because Matt was 33 years old at the time.
He benefitted from the contrition of Penn State, which has bent over backwards to try to treat Jerry Sandusky’s victims fairly, and received a monetary settlement in late 2013.
Others, Matt Sandusky noted, aren’t as fortunate as he was.
“If the statute of limitations laws stay as they are… some people are no longer allowed to seek justice, just because they’ve reached that arbitrary number,” he said.
Matt Sandusky was scheduled to appear in person at Monday’s rally, but missed it due to a minor illness. He later spoke by telephone with PennLive.com.
State Rep. Louis Williams Bishop, D-Philadelphia, touted an alternative measure on the same subject Monday. Bishop’s bill would eliminate all statute of limitations restrictions, civil or criminal, on childhood sexual abuse.
Taking that step, said Bishop, will send a strong message to perpetrators that in Pennsylvania, “You can run but you can’t hide… You will have to face your day in court.”
The statute of limitations changes have been opposed in the past by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference – the public advocacy arm of the Roman Catholic Church – and liability insurers.
Both groups would presumably be placed at greater economic risk if the changes were passed, but they also contend that the justice issue applies to them, too.
Catholic Conference spokesman Amy Hill noted that as evidence gets lost, memories fade and witnesses move away or die, it becomes “impossible for any organization that cares for children to defend themselves in court years later.”
Hill also pointed to the 2012 report by a special legislative task force on child protection issues that found Pennsylvania is already “one of the most generous states in terms of the length” of the tail for childhood sexual abuse.
None of the statute of limitations bills were considered in the 2013-14 legislative session – even as nearly two dozen other child protections bill were enacted – but Rossi, Teplitz and Bishop said they don’t intend to let the issue rest.
“Pedophiles don’t retire and our law should not protect their heinous acts,” Rossi said.
© 2015 PennLive.com. All rights reserved.
http://www.pennlive.com/
Lee Davidson, Two Utah bills targeting child abusers advance, The Salt Lake Tribune
/in Uncategorized /by SOL ReformNY Lawmakers hope to give child sex abuse victims their day in court
/in 2015 Events, New York, NY Child Victims Act /by SOL ReformLawmakers hope to give child sex abuse victims their day in court
Bill sponsors will host groups supporting the Child Victims Act on
April 22 in Albany
By MATTHEW D’ONOFRIO
February 23, 2015
Criminal and civil statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse crimes in New York
would be eliminated if the state Legislature passes a bill reintroduced this session.
Under current law pedophiles are able to hide behind the statute of limitations and go
unpunished for sexually abusing a child if the victim doesn’t press charges before age
23. A growing number of bi-partisan lawmakers are hoping to change that.
The Child Victims Act (A.2872/S.63), sponsored by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey,
D-Queens, would eliminate the criminal and civil statute of limitations for child sexual
abuse crimes as well as establish a one-year window for victims to bring civil lawsuits
against people or institutions in older cases that were exempt because of the existing
statute of limitations.
Criminal cases are not included in this one-year window because they cannot be
pursued retroactively.
The bill has a long legislative history but made headlines in 2012 in light of high-profile
scandals at Syracuse University, Penn State University, and Horace Mann, a private
school in New York City.
Former Syracuse University assistant basketball coach, Bernie Fine, was accused of
inappropriately touching two ball boys for the team in the 1980s and 1990s. The two
boys announced the abuse and accusation in November of 2011 on ESPN.
Jerry Sandusky, former assistant football coach for Penn State University was convicted
of 45 counts of sexual abuse in June of 2012 for child molestation that occurred
between 1994 and 2009 and stretched as early back as the 1970s.
At Horace Mann, more than 63 students were allegedly sexually abused by 22 staff
members between 1962 and 1996. The abuse was uncovered decades later in June of
2012.
New York is one of five states that has not yet eliminated or extended their statute of
limitations laws on child sexual abuse.
The bill language states that “Sex crimes, particularly those committed against children,
are among the most heinous and deeply disturbing in our society. They are crimes that
leave life-long scars, multiple victims and require an all encompassing strategy to
combat. Victims of childhood sexual abuse do not come to terms with their abuse until
well into adulthood. Under current law they have no recourse. By eliminating the
statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse cases victims can bring their claims
regardless of whether or not DNA evidence is available.
The bill further states that “by eliminating the statute of limitations in childhood sexual
abuse cases, victims of these horrific crimes will get their day in court and be able to
seek the justice they have been denied.”
California passed similar legislation in 2002, including the one-year window to file
lawsuits for older crimes. More than 1,000 lawsuits, resulting in $1.2 billion in
settlements by statewide dioceses of the Catholic Church, followed the passage of the
law.
The Catholic Church of New York opposes the Markey bill. Although the church supports
the elimination of the statute of limitations for crimes going forward, it does not support
the one-year window for past offenses.
In 2012, The Catholic Conference supported a bill proposed by Sen. Andrew Lanza, R-
Staten Island and Assemblyman Michael Cusick, D-Staten Island. Their bill
(S.6477/A.8064) extended the statute of limitations, but did not offer the one-year
window to file new claims on older crimes.
Dennis Poust, director of communications for the New York State Catholic Conference,
said the church views the one-year window as “unconstitutional” in terms of the
criminal code.
“It is impossible to sort out the truth when you go back decades and decades,” said
Poust, noting that “memories fade and evidence [is] lost” and most offenders are
deceased by now. “We’re not looking to defend them,” Poust said of past offenders. He
noted that it is the private institutions the church is defending, including groups such as
the Boy Scouts.
There is some debate about whether the proposed law would open public institutions up
for liability in past abuse cases. Poust believes public institutions would be insulated
from lawsuits but a spokesman for Markey’s office says the bill doesn’t specify between
private and public institutions.
Poust said the state is protecting itself from lawsuits and he’d like to see the bill
amended to include public institutions as well because “anything less than that isn’t
justice at all.”
“If you were 25 and were abused 10 years earlier by a public school teacher you would
not be able to bring up a lawsuit,” said Poust, referring to the bill in its current form. “If
you were 25 and abused in 1945 by the Catholic Church, you can.”
Mike Armstrong, a spokesman for Markey, said the legislation doesn’t include public
institutions because it doesn’t include any institution at all — it is non-specific. There is
no writing in the bill that states which type of institutions will be affected or targeted. It
applies to both public and private institutions.
Armstrong said the opponents of the bill, or protectors of “molesters” as he referred to
them, are concerned with the part of the bill that includes the one-year window.
Armstrong believes the legislation has the best chance of passing this session due to
the largest number of supporters — 59 as of press time, both Democrats and
Republicans between the Senate and Assembly — in recent history and the “aggressive,
energetic” sponsor in the Senate, Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan. Armstrong also notes
that Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Bronx, is a new supporter of the bill.
On April 22, Markey will host a number of groups supporting the Child Victims Act
during an advocacy day in Albany and other organizations concerned about the issue of
child sexual abuse to educate others, get their message out and visit legislators.
View as PDF: 2-24-15 Legis Gazette – NY Push for CVA
UTAH ALERT– House vote on Monday, March 2
/in Utah /by SOL ReformChristopher King, Survivor of sex abuse unhappy with hidden predator bill, CBS 46
/in Georgia, Video /by SOL ReformCBS46 News
ATLANTA (CBS46) – Angela Williams suffered pain no child should ever have to endure, especially at the hands of the man who is supposed to protect and nurture her.
“I was sexually abused for 14 years by my stepfather,” Williams said.
She tried to tell her teachers and her mother, but she said, they wouldn’t listen. “I was always told to forget about it. It was going to be my word against his and I need to move on,” said Williams, who now heads an advocacy group called Voice Today.
The statute of limitations, the window for Williams to press charges, closed decades ago. “I want the right to justice,” Williams said. “I’ve struggled with addiction. I’ve struggled with eating disorders.”
A proposal introduced at the Georgia State Capitol would have extended the statute by 35 years, letting victims press charges as late as age 53.
“It would be revolutionary in providing justice for survivors,” Williams said.
But, something surprising happened on the way to the state house floor.
“They have removed the 35 year extension,” Williams said. The bill was stripped of its most important part.
“It’s been pushed to where it is not victim friendly. It is predator friendly,” said State Rep. Jason Spencer, the bill’s sponsor.
The bill, in its current form, would only let victims open sealed records on their abuse cases. Spencer said he is trying to win a strategic victory.
“We are fighting for it. If I can push a bill and get it onto the floor of the house, that is a victory and that way it can change the mind of the general assembly down the road,” Spencer said.
Spencer said he is trying to get his bill placed in a House Judiciary Committee on Mar. 2
Copyright 2015 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
View as PDF: Survivor of sex abuse unhappy with hidden predator bill – CBS46 News